Brooks Winery

This iconic Oregon winery has been on my must-visit bucket list for some time. Luckily, Janie Brooks was in
town and she, along with winemaker Chris Williams, met me at the hospitality center and winery in the Amity-
Eola Hills that overlooks the Cascade Range and the Willamette Valley floor. The facility is impressive, with
multiple sitting areas both indoors and outdoors to enjoy Brooks wines along with appropriate food matches
prepared by a chef on site. (All photos courtesy of Andrea Johnson Photography)

The history of Brooks Winery is well known to pinotphiles. The founder, winemaker Jimi Brooks, was highly
respected by his Oregon colleagues for his devotion to holistic farming and winemaking in the Willamette
Valley. He started Brooks Winery in 1998 after winemaking stints at Maysara and WillaKenzie Estate wineries,
but tragically passed away six years later at the relatively young age of 38 years. The winery was bequeathed
to Jimi’s only child, Pascal, who was eight years old when his father died, making him the youngest winery
owner in the world.

After Jimi’s death, a consortium of winemakers from the Willamette Valley kept the winery productive until
winemaker Chris Williams, Jimi’s former assistant winemaker, who had worked along side Jimi at Maysara,
WillaKenzie Estate and Brooks Winery, took over in 2005. He was able to bring continuity to Brooks wines
since he shared Jimi’s philosophy and has remained the winemaker to this day.

Janie Brooks Heuck, Jimi’s sister, now manages the winery, turning it into a family legacy. Since becoming
Managing Director in 2004, she increased production from 3,500 to 20,000-25,000 cases annually.

In 2009, a 20-acre vineyard was acquired in the Eola-Amity Hills that Jimi had farmed biodynamically since
2002, and Demeter Biodynamic certification followed in 2012. The site was originally planted between 1973
and 1977 to Pinot Noir and Riesling. 10 acres of own-rooted vines remain on this aged vineyard that is now
named Brooks Estate Vineyard. 2014 was a bright hallmark for the winery, as the new winery and tasting room
opened, and the winery was the focus of a feature length documentary titled, ‘American Wine Story,’ that was
shown at multiple film festivals in 2014 and is available at www.americanwinestory.vhx.tv/.

The logo or symbol on the label of Brooks wines was created by founder Jimi Brooks and represents the cycle
of life and rebirth.

Brooks Winery was named one of five “Must Visit Wineries” by USA Today and I can see why. The wines are all
excellent and the hospitality is unriviled. Tasting is available daily from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with different
tasting options and food pairings available. Along with the Wine Bar, craft beer is available on tap so that all
visitors can indulge their preferences. Visit www.brookswine.com.

Currently, Brooks specializes in Pinot Noir and Riesling, with several other white aromatic varietals also
available. 17 different Rieslings are offered, sourced from 14 different vineyards. Multiple Pinot Noirs are
produced from estate and sourced fruit including a Rosé. All Pinot Noir wines undergo 100% de-stemming,
followed by a 5 to 7-day cold soak, and a subsequent native yeast fermentation kept cool to avoid over
extraction especially in warm vintages. Use of new oak is very modest. The wines are bottled after cross-flow
filtration.

After a tour of the winery, I settled in with Janie and Chris in a private tasting room that is available for special
tasting experiences and the trade. It has an unusual wall of cork tiles and is highly suitable for wine sampling.
The first wines reviewed were tasted at the winery and the subsequent wines were evaluated at home in my
usual fashion.

12.2% alc., $48. A
second label for wines from outside the Willamette Valley.
·Light reddish purple color in the glass. Very elegant,
with aromas and flavors of cherry, blueberry, Damsel plum and spice. Gentle tannins, good vibrancy, and a
pleasing, but short finish.Score:88

12.0% alc., pH 3.61, TA 0.59, 300 cases, $55.
Rastaban is a star, the eye of the dragon in the constellation Draco. A barrel selection first produced in 2003
from Momtazi Vineyard. This wine is composed of Pommard, 115 and 777 clones from the Brooks Estate
Vineyard that has some of the oldest, biodynamically farmed vines in the Willamette Valley. A consistent
elegant style of wine vinified with small amount of new oak - 20% in this vintage, and often the best effort of the
vintage. Aged 18 months in French oak barrels.
·Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. The
promising aromas of cherry, black plum, spice and forest floor entice. Light to mid weight in style and reflective
of the vintage, with a pleasing charge of red and purple fruits accented with cardamom spice and Italian herbs.
Very juicy, with fine grain tannins and a finish that warms the soul.Score:92-93

The Janus bottlings have a core of fruit from the Brooks Estate Vineyard combined with primarily grapes from
Eola-Amity Hills vineyards. A mini vertical was tasted to show vintage differences yet a consistent style. Janus
is the winery’s flagship Pinot Noir and is the richest and most intense blend offered in honor of Jimi’s legacy of
crafting expressive blends. Janus was a Roman mythological God depicted with two faces looking to both the
future and the past.

Moderate crimson color in the glass. The savory
nose offers scents of compost and mushroom with subtle notes of wild berries. Elegantly composed, with a
middleweight core of earth-kissed plum and marionberry flavors backed by juicy acidity. There is noticeable
staying power on the glorious finish.Score:93

12.2% alc..
·Moderately light reddish purple color
in the glass. Redder fruits such as cherry and cranberry are featured along with notes of sandalwood, tea leaf,
and a hint of mushroom. Rather delicate and light in weight, with some oak inlay and dry tannins on the finish.Score:90

13.8% alc..
·Moderately light reddish purple color
in the glass. Ripe purple berry and stone fruits blend with savory notes of mushroom and herbs on the nose.
Nicely composed, with ripe, but not overripe flavors of black plum and boysenberry with a hint of spice. The
tannins are submerged and the finish has staying power.Score:92

Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass.
Intoxicating aromas of cherry, wilted rose and potpourri lead to a lightly weighted and elegant wine that is more
savory than fruity with flavors of tea leaf, herbs, tobacco, smoke alongside light red fruits, finishing with a dry,
slightly grippy finish.Score:89

I rarely review or even drink domestic Riesling. Chris initially offered me a couple of Brooks Rieslings to sample
and I was hooked. He ended up sharing six different Rieslings with me, all superb. My notes are not extensive
but you get the idea. A Terue Wines Muscat and Brooks Gewüztraminer were also excellent. I realized there is
a serious commitment to Riesling at Brooks and the quality of the wines reflect this goal. The degree of dryness
of each Riesling is depicted on the back label.

13.8% alc., pH 3.64, TA 0.54, 1,500
cases, $38. 58% Brooks Estate Vineyard with contributions from several other vineyards in the
Willamette Valley, primarily Eola-Amity Hills. Aged 18 months in French oak barrels. Cross-flow
filtered.
·Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. A mix of red and black berry, spice and forest
floor aromas rise from the glass. A hint of volatile acidity quickly blows off. Thoroughly seductive in
the mouth, with luscious flavors of black cherry, dark red berry and plum. The fruit goodness seems
to build over time and the wine achieves progressive goodness the more one tastes it. Highly
flavorful, yet gracious in character, with a substantial tannic backbone that ensures age ability, and a delightful
finish offering both intensity of fruit flavor and valued grip.Score:93